


Enough

by ankaren



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Future Fic, M/M, Male Slash, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-27
Updated: 2012-09-27
Packaged: 2017-11-15 04:28:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/523141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ankaren/pseuds/ankaren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Grown-up Danny/Vlad, slash.  Years after Phantom Planet, Vlad has returned to Earth and is up to his usual scheming. Danny has some new tactics of his own to put a stop to it. Romance is a valid battle tactic, isn't it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> An older fic I've edited a bit. The end of chapter 2 was suggested by Tanarill on LJ. Thanks to FC for helping me with the summary!

 

                Daniel was kissing him.

                The machine was built out of Technus, much to the more careless ghost’s dismay, using him as a channel through which Plasmius could control the computers of the world… any technology more advanced than a wheelbarrow, actually, Technus was remarkably flexible.  Of course, for a creature so focused on machines, he was not terribly bright.  He could not find his way out of the electronic finger trap Plasmius had created around him, and each effort he made to get free only trapped him further while his native ability was harnessed against his will. 

In the years since Plasmius’s last attempt at taking the Earth (by far more polite means; he’d _asked_ ) the world had become even more mechanized.  No one would argue with the man who controlled the world’s technology when they travelled to work via flying car or relaxed in virtual reality worlds.  The length to which he was willing to go to enforce that new dominance he hadn’t decided yet, but it would take only minor atrocities to control things, he liked to think.  Perhaps not even that far—just threats.  The machine, which he had not come up with a name for yet though he knew the name would start with Plasmius as much as Daniel’s equipment always started with Fenton, was already working.  Slowly, like a spider web, jumping from machine to machine and granting _him_ control.  Technus himself was blind and had no idea what was happening, apart from feeling stretched and trapped and very irritated, Vlad imagined.  The world itself only knew because of the now tell-tale “V” insignia appearing across screens everywhere, his little calling card.  And Daniel knew because he’d come here to stop him.

                Daniel had to lean down, a bit.  He’d grown into his father’s height though fortunately not his father’s weight over the years, taller than Vlad himself not counting hair.  Daniel’s own hair was the same as ever, perhaps a little floppier in the bangs, excepting the white ponytail that he’d grown and that came down almost to the center of his back.  Vlad wasn’t sure what to make of that—not a tribute to Masters’ hairstyle, certainly, perhaps a reminder or a thought of something else that Vlad didn’t know.  Well, there’d be time for that after he’d hacked into FentonWorks’ computer files and studied what he hadn’t picked up, the holes in Daniel’s life from Vlad’s perspective during his own time in space, and the adventures Daniel had experienced which had nothing to do with Vlad…

                And there’d be time for that later.  After Daniel stopped stroking the small of his back with one hand, the other hand having not yet found a home.  Vlad knew what was going to happen.  What was the saying?  Fool me once, shame on you, fool me four or five or six times, and I’m truly a fool.  His attraction to Daniel had been unexpected when he returned to find the adult half-ghost waiting and still guarding this world, and at first he’d managed to hide it.  At first.  He was always terrible at these things, unfortunately, he had poor impulse control.  Daniel had simply gawked at him when he’d first let a comment slip in the heart of battle, and since then, it had been like Daniel’s childhood but with Daniel taking both the place of Jack and of Maddie, the target of insults and death threats and an obsessive desire to love.  Daniel didn’t mock him so much for it, he’d matured.  Daniel felt sorry for him; that was adulthood, to see weakness and pity it.  Daniel knew he would always have the upper hand over Plasmius now.

                He leaned down, kissing tenderly, eyes closed, and Plasmius cooperated, opening his heart and arms as usual, weakened by hope when he knew how this would end.  Daniel’s other hand finally made its appearance on the scene, a piece of technology that Vlad’s machine could not reach because of the ghostly barrier raised around it by Daniel’s power, and as it jabbed into Plasmius’s side he jerked and struggled only a few minutes before going limp, the black rings of energy passing over his eyes and not startling him.   The Fenton Half-Ghost Zapper, it was named, even though it was the Plasmius Maximus with a green paint job and an ‘F’ on the side.   Daniel looked at Vlad Masters almost sadly, or so Vlad liked to imagine, but then Vlad’s imagination had been why he’d let Daniel in close while knowing the reality between them was not the kiss Daniel offered.  

                “Come on, Vlad.”  Yes, that was pity.  Daniel held out the ectoplasmic handcuffs that would hold Vlad’s hands even when the three hours were up and his powers returned.  “Game’s over.”

                “It’s too bad.”  Vlad didn’t fight, not trapped in human form like this, and out of reach of the Plasmius Technus-Axis (ah, that was a decent name.)  He glanced over at his machine fondly.  “You’ll still need to fight Technus.  I imagine he’ll be in a terrible mood.”

                “Wouldn’t _you_ be?”  Daniel sighed, tugging Vlad closer again.  Vlad didn’t fight, and didn’t argue with Daniel’s assessment.  They both knew he frankly didn’t _care_ what Technus thought, and the feeling would doubtlessly be mutual if Technus were available to ask.  By comparison, Daniel had learned to care about the circumstances, about poor (evil, world-conquering) Technus trapped in a horror machine, even about poor (evil, world-conquering) Vlad so easily defeated without Daniel raising a hand to him.  Vlad had to admit he felt a little pity for the man in return.  He’d been holding up that globe on every corner of the world for so many years now.  Surely his arm was getting tired.

                Vlad let himself be herded into the Specter Speeder, let his cuffs be attached to a nice storage area near the back of the ship and distant from any important buttons (though he thought, if he pulled his arms to their limit and then reached out with a foot he could probably hit a few controls; it would only be an annoyance and one that required a distinct lack of dignity to create, but he _could_ if he wanted) while Daniel grabbed a Fenton Thermos and headed off to deal with Technus.

                “Careful!  If you free him incorrectly, he may simply take control of the machine and thus the world, you know,” Vlad warned almost cheerfully.  Daniel gave him a sour look before stepping out of the Speeder.

                Left alone, Vlad licked his lips a bit, easier in human form without fangs in the way.  He didn’t reach for the Skeleton Key hidden up one sleeve of his familiar (and Daniel probably thought unchanged) black suit.  He’d wait until he could transform again, then free himself.  Possibly take Technus too, just for the sake of it.

                Let Daniel chase him some more.

                Ultimately, he knew reality would not match the hopes of his imagination, and let Daniel take advantage of his weakness anyway.  It was, at heart, the only victory he could get.  He knew what he really wanted out of life.  Conquering the world would not have been enough. 


	2. Chapter 2

                The fact was that Vlad Plasmius happened to be a man who had a great deal of free time on his hands.  Discovering his human form hadn't aged at all during his time as a ghost in space, once he finally made it back, had significantly extended his possible number of years on Earth from what he'd already expected to enjoy.  And he had already expected to live a long life, thanks to healthy eating, frequent exercise and a body that was clear of disease since his little ecto-impurities situation had been solved.  Now even more time stretched before him, well past the century mark, and he had to find something to do with it all.

                The downside of all that was the additional fact that Vlad Plasmius was a man who'd come to the grand finale of his life nearly ten years earlier during his bid for Earth, and it was honestly very hard to top an act like that or come back to an occupation like supervillainy once it was all out in the open, even old news.  There was the option to hide his face and identity and live as a human in some unsuspicious spot and to let 'Plasmius' remain lost in space forever, but with all the time he potentially had now, retirement seemed far too early.

                Besides, the time was a gift of the ghost half, and only increased while Vlad maintained that half.  It would be foolish to throw it away, and ungrateful not to do something with it.

                He'd flown in slowly because there had been no other choice.  The only real direction he had at first was the sun, but with enough flight Earth came into view and Vlad had headed for it until it lapped past him on its journey around again.  Another year.  He'd waited patiently, slept faintly, and watched as Earth approached again and Vlad headed towards the rendezvous point again, stopping before Earth's passage was so far that he risked losing his course.  Amazing how time and speed all became so very different in space.  His fastest speed wasn't a fraction of Earth's movement, and each year he drew tantalizingly closer until he had to dodge debris as Earth went past, but didn't quite trust a final burst to bring him into the atmosphere though he advanced a little further.  By the time he'd tested and confirmed for himself that his ghostly body could handle reentry simply by turning intangible, he knew years had passed because he'd watched the Earth going by each time and counted.  With each year, he'd imagined the world moving on without him, building around the hole of VladCo or perhaps even restructuring it for his former subordinates to run.  Maddie was still down there, married, her life with Jack  slipping away year by year.  A crueller joke when he finally found himself on solid ground and rested for the first time, and realized Vlad Masters was unchanged, not even a hair out of place.

                But the world had been generous too, particularly to Daniel, giving the growing superhero its praise and love.  How often had he saved the world while Plasmius had been gone?  A visit to the library at night and a slow exploration of newspapers had aged Daniel for Vlad, going from year to year and exploit to exploit, awkward interviews and blurry photos and even tabloid followings of Daniel's relationships as he aged.  According to some of those, Daniel had been dating all of the women he'd ever met including a good handful of ghosts and a couple of the boys as well, but Vlad didn't believe much of that; he'd met some of those girls himself, there was simply no way that had happened.

                What had startled him the most had been a cleverly placed little set of pictures next to a brief history of Daniel's career, a statue of Danny Phantom holding up the world as a child and a photo of Daniel in present time, those agonizingly slow rotations of the Earth having reformed the other half-ghost into something shaped more like a Greek statue, all muscle and form and graceful motion frozen casually.

                He hadn't understood at the time why he'd liked that photograph so much, but he'd stolen it and felt a new sense of purpose even as he walked off with property that was not his.  If there was a place for Danny Phantom still in this world, there was a place for Vlad Plasmius as well, wasn't there?  The world had once been conquered by Vlad's charms before he'd thrown away his fortune on a gamble.  Now it was under Daniel's beck and call, but that didn't mean Vlad couldn't try to take it back.  Just a simple tug of war...

                The two Phantoms, one just after Plasmius had left and one photographed shortly after his return, were framed and hung on a nice wall, next to a particularly lurid and amusing account of Vlad's last public actions.  Most of his safehouses had been raided, but there was still equipment, still plans and backup plans, and still a will inside of him to show that the world was finished with passing him by.

                Daniel's expression at the unexpected return of his once greatest villain (well, the papers said so, who was Vlad to argue with a little ego boost?) had been priceless.  The subsequent defeat, less so.  Phantom had gained the years he needed to catch up with Plasmius, and more.  It still, even after multiple encounters, always struck Plasmius as a little odd at first to think Daniel was taller than he was.  Tall and firm and strong.

                And beautiful.  He had grown into something beautiful.  The world loved him from a distance, but Plasmius was clever enough and greedy enough to have the chance to love him up close, even if it was during battle.  The effortless way he moved and used both his powers and his sheer strength with such control to avoid collateral damage.  The concerned and quiet expression on a serious face lit by green eyes and an unnatural glow.  Even in their first encounter, Vlad could see written on Daniel's face the weight of awareness that the world watched him, and beyond that the fierce determination that he would not let that awareness stop him and would not give up on protecting his home.

                Seeing such determination, why, giving up would not only be a bore and an insult to Vlad's own native powers, it would be an insult to Daniel.  A disrespect.  Even when overpowered, surrendering was no option.  So Vlad fled and tried again.  And again.  And again.

                A game, that was the word for it, something like tag.  Vlad would pop up, and Daniel would chase until he caught for a moment, then Vlad would escape and it would start again.  It was pleasant and certainly not boring.  When victory with sheer strength was not an option, Vlad found power in his intelligence, and his plans became a bit more technical in form.  The new challenge was also met by Daniel, of course, the young man wouldn't let Vlad down, and even in Daniel's own style as he tried to minimize damage from the fight so that the world could ease on as though Daniel and Vlad didn't even exist.

                A world without them, there was a thought.  But both had carved their names into the Earth in their own ways, and there was simply no going back from that. Like carving two names into a tree.

                He had returned to his "secret" lair, bearing a few liberated lab items he could use for his new plan, when he'd seen the roses sitting on the lab table in he center of the room.  Vlad had walked over slowly, putting the new equipment to the side, not quite trusting.  The flowers were tied together with a green ribbon, and there was a hand-written card folded atop them.  Vlad opened it, not touching the roses although now their subtle smell was filling the otherwise sterile lab air.

                "Plasmius--

                Thanks for not conquering the world this month.

                --Phantom"

 

                He reread the handwritten note, and then read between the lines of it, before looking at the flowers.  It was a confession note, showing Daniel had found this hideout, and for some reason had decided to simply leave a tag instead of destroying it.  It was a very simple note, with flowers which were decisively from a florist although the note itself couldn't possibly be anything other than personalized.  It was a note between equals, two ghost names.  It was unquestionably Daniel's distinctive handwriting, a bit sloppy here and there, but neat enough and in cursive.

                The new machine was almost done, it just needed the added parts and a bit of tinkering and plan... what number was it now?... could begin.  Vlad reread the note, and idly noticed that the note had the scent of the roses it was placed upon, faint and sweet.

                The device was nearly ready, but it would still be nearly ready in a week and a half, by the first of the next month.  And the note went up on the wall, between the news clipping of dual Danny Phantoms and the record of Vlad Plasmius's greatest plan and greatest defeat.

                Vlad certainly had time enough to wait.


	3. Chapter 3

               Jazz had a really comfortable couch, which was a good thing, because Danny found himself reclining on it a lot lately.  It didn't really matter if Jazz said that was old fashioned, particularly since he was taking over the couch in her living room and not in her office. It was more comfortable to talk like that.  It meant he could tilt his head so he wasn't exactly facing his big sister while talking to her.  That helped a lot.

 

                "Danny, you've had ghosts attracted to you before," Jazz was calm and professional, after years of doing this sort of thing for a career and even longer years of helping Danny through little weird times.  Okay, maybe 'little weird' was an understatement for this one, but... "Why are you acting differently about this one?"

 

                "Come on, Jazz, this isn't the same as some ghost who wants to follow me around because I'm famous!  This is _Vlad_ we're talking about!"   Danny gestured into the air loosely, the closest he could get to a shrug while flat on his back.  "It's totally different in every way."

 

                "I know... but I want to know from you what _exactly_ is making this so different.  Is it because of Mom?"  Jazz's voice was even soothing, one of those things that had changed over the years.  He guessed they'd both grown up, or maybe it was just the fact that he was deliberately coming and asking for her advice now, not getting it without request.

 

                "No.  Yes.  Okay, yes, that adds a whole extra layer of weird.  But even if he'd just been a fruitloop in general without any kind of weird fixation on Mom it would be weird.  He's _Vlad_."  Danny struggled to get the right words out, because he couldn't say that had nothing to do with anything, but it was like the tip of the iceberg.  "One day he's somewhere dead in space, then he shows up again making weird come-ons in between trying to kick my butt."

 

                "So it's his sudden reappearance in your life, after all that time he was gone?"  Jazz probed a little.  Danny heard her writing something down.

 

                "Yes.  No.  Geez.  It's not any _one_ thing, Jazz.  It's a million things all together.  And I don't know what I'm supposed to do about it."  Danny shook his head, and turned onto his side to face the inside of the couch.

 

                "Well, what you've been doing is a little... unorthodox.  For you.  Danny, I know you're an adult now, but I'm not sure what you're doing is healthy.  For you, or for Vlad."  She was all delicate about it, slow as though she hadn't been thinking that from the start, but Danny was sure she had.

 

                "Of course it isn't healthy, that's why I'm here.  What the heck's _wrong_ with me?"  Danny groaned.  "I'm... I don't want anybody to get hurt because of me.  Or because of his fixation on me.  So if I can keep him happy, then..."

 

                "Danny, you can't just pursue a relationship with someone because you think it'll stop them from taking over the world."  Jazz paused for a moment, and Danny could hear her pencil tapping on the notepad.  "You know, I really don't have to advise most of my patients about stuff like this."

 

                "No kidding."  Danny rolled over again, finally facing his sister.  Just as the years had changed his build, his sister had changed too, her hair a little shorter than their mother's old haircut and her figure demurely hidden under a professional dress suit.  Sometimes even now it was a little strange to think about her as a teenager, compared to now.  But she was still his big sister no matter what.  "But it's not like I can let him go around destroying things, and it keeps him quiet."

 

                "Danny..."  Jazz put her pencil to her lips, staring back at him as though looking for the right words.  "We both know there's other ways of dealing with ghosts... even strong ghosts.  You could put him in a thermos, or..."

 

                Or try to get rid of him once and for all, the way they'd thought he'd been taken care of years ago when their father had left him in space.  They'd never talked about it, really.  If his father regretted it, or even thought about it, Danny wasn't sure.  _He'd_ thought about it, after enough time had passed.  It was... no, destroying Vlad wasn't an option, not so long as he could find another way.  Danny Phantom was a lot of things, but killing for convenience wasn't something he was comfortable with, even if his dad had been justified before.  The thermos, though... "I can't just keep a guy in a thermos."

 

                "Why not?  If he survived space as a ghost, he'd survive the thermos as a ghost too," Jazz pointed out.  "And if what happened from his time in space is any sign, it's not as though he'd die of old age or anything while waiting to be let out."

 

                "No."  Danny answered again, before he had time to think of the proper reasons.  It just felt wrong.  There was one other ghost who was in a thermos, forever as far as Danny knew, and... "Being in a thermos for a little while is bad enough.  Even he doesn't have that coming."  He sighed, and shifted his weight yet again, to look at the ceiling and avoid Jazz's expression again.  "You remember, years ago, the... other future, right?"  It was still a closely kept secret among those who'd been involved.

 

                "If this is guilt about that, Danny..."  Jazz started, only to be interrupted.

 

                "No.  I don't feel guilty about that anymore."  He felt guilty about other things.  Fights he should have won more easily, minimized the damage from.  Fights he should have prevented in the first place.  Statements he'd made without thinking about how the world viewed him and his opinion.  He'd done things he wasn't proud of, but he had enough to worry about with what had _actually_ happened to not need the addition of past side-stepped disasters.  "It's something else.  In that timeline, Vlad aged.  A lot."

 

                "Well, he wasn't a ghost anymore, or even half-ghost..." It was clear from her tone that Jazz wasn't sure where Danny was going with this.

 

                "But he was different.  I mean, you know I went to live with him after... the accident, in that timeline.  And he took my ghost half out.  But it wasn't that he was trying to hurt me.  He _wanted_ me to be a half-ghost, like him.  He just thought it was the best thing to do."  Danny closed his eyes, trying to pretend he was alone for a moment, even though the whole point of coming here was to have someone else listen to his thoughts.  "And... when I met him, older... he said it was the Plasmius side's fault that I went... that the other me happened.  Why would he even say that?  It doesn't make sense.  It was my ghost half that was crazy, that tore his ghost half out in the first place.  Maybe his didn't help, but it was like he took the blame for it on purpose.  I don't know why.  Maybe it was an ego boost, or maybe he felt sorry for me, or something.  And he acted like he was going to kill me before he helped me get back home... but in the end, he wound up giving me another chance to fix things, armed with gauntlets and everything.  Clockwork gave me a second chance to make things right, by showing me my future.  And you did too, warning me of what was going on.  But... even if it wasn't the same person, so did Vlad."

 

                "Danny... if you aren't guilty for what your alternate self did, doesn’t that mean Vlad can't be given credit for what his own alternate did?"  Jazz pointed out, logical as always.  "In this timeline, he tried to kill you--seriously tried several times.  And now he's a threat again, even if he's not as powerful as you are anymore.  He's still trying to take over the world."

 

                "He's just trying to get my attention.  As long as I _give_ him my attention, he backs off!"  Danny paused, realizing his tone was getting a bit too loud.  "It's not only that, it's... look, he's come back here.  Years later.  He can't go back into the past and undo the things he did wrong, and the things he's done wrong now aren't much better.  But he's still... I still want to think he's..."

 

                "You're not responsible for fixing him either, Danny."  She sighed.  "Or for giving him a second chance, if he doesn't want one."

 

                "... I don't know if he wants one or not.  I don't think he'd ask even if he did."  Danny shook his head, eyes still closed.  "It's not just about him, you know.  It's... there's a connection between us.  I guess there always will be.  Maybe because we're the only two of our kind, or something."

 

                "So you're saying that you _want_ to keep pursuing him?"  For all the oddness in the statement, Jazz's voice was stronger.  She sounded satisfied.  She usually did, when they had a little breakthrough.

 

                "No.  Yes."

 

                "Danny, stop doing that."  And then a tone of the older sister annoyed at her brother's habit.

 

                "Well, it isn't an easy question to answer!"  Danny opened his eyes, frowning at the ceiling.  "I want a renegotiation."

 

                "You want what?"  Jazz leaned forward a bit, into his line of vision again.

 

                "I want a renegotiation.  He's a businessman, right?  So he screwed up.  A lot.  A lot of times and in a lot of really big ways.  But that doesn't have to be the end of things.  And it's not like most of these latest schemes have really done much other than annoy people.  Well, and ghosts.  It's like he isn't even trying to win, sometimes.  I want to renegotiate our relationship to each other."  It made perfect sense to himself, although Danny could tell Jazz wasn't following.  He wasn't even sure exactly what it meant when he thought it out logically either, but that was it.  "No more 'I'm the villain, you're the hero, blah blah' stupid nonsense.  We're adults, right?"

 

                "Well, yes, but..."

 

                "If I don't even have the guts to at least go to the man, admit what we've both been playing around, and see what he has to say about it, what kind of superhero am I?"  Danny sat up, pulling his legs to the floor.

 

                "Interpersonal relationships and fighting supervillains aren't the same thing, Danny." But Jazz was smiling, a little.  "I don't know if this is a good idea, but at least you could break out of this unhealthy pattern.  Maybe... renegotiating... will be good for both of you."

 

                "Okay."  Danny took a heavy breath, then smiled at Jazz.  "Thanks for listening."

 

                "Any time, little brother.  But don't ask me to explain this to Mom and Dad."

 

                "Hey, let's deal with one world-shattering crisis at a time, okay?"  Danny shook his head.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                When he'd found the relocated hideout, it had a ghost shield around the human side.  Back through the portal, find the right pink football, and Danny Phantom sauntered into his enemy's lair uninvited yet again.  No presents this time, although he saw a nice vase currently empty off to the side, down below Vlad's little shrines.  It was flattering enough, in a weird way, to come here and see that.  At least his career ranked as interesting as the Packers, the other theme in the lab's decor.

 

                A bit more important a detail was the sight of Vlad's shoulders, in ghost form as usual these days, turned away from the portal for a moment to work on something at a lab table.  A new weapon or plan?  Before Danny could start the talk, it was Vlad who commented drily, "Hello, Daniel.  You should have warned me you were coming to visit, I'd have made tea."

 

                "I'm not here for tea."  Danny glanced around the room, and reconsidered.  "Well, I don't want tea right now, anyway."

 

                "Really?"  Vlad turned then, his eyebrows raised, smiling faintly.  "Then to what do I owe this little visitation?"

 

                Pretentiousness and a touch of haughtiness, but Danny knew Vlad wasn't asking why Danny didn't want tea, Vlad was asking why Danny was here and willing to _consider_ tea.  More of their little game.  Suddenly ending it seemed like a terrible idea, but he'd built up all that resolution, and they couldn't go on forever like this.

 

                "Vlad, look.  I know you know I know you like me, and all that, and you know, that doesn't bother me."  Danny put up his hands in a semi-shrug, although already he realized he sounded idiotic and winced inwardly.

 

                "Really?  How thrilling."  And Vlad didn't look too happy about it either.

 

                "No, listen.  What I mean to say is, I don't... I have to talk to you, because this is stupid.  You're just playing games, but other people might get hurt because of those games, and you know I can't let that happen."

 

                "Which is how I get you to play along, yes, aren't we being forward today."  Now he looked even a bit annoyed, crossing his arms.  "Are you here to just discuss things we both already know, or is there a point to all of this?"

 

                "Yes!  I mean no!  Why do you have to be like this?!"  Danny ran a gloved hand back through white bangs, frustrated.  "Listen, I... I want to quit playing around."

 

                "Oh?"  And Vlad was bracing himself, because there were so many things that could imply.

 

                "I want to quit this silly game where you run and I chase."  Danny took another deep breath, and found himself standing a bit more squarely too, as though bracing himself for a punch to the stomach.  "If you want to keep playing coy... okay, that's up to you.  But it's not okay if other people can get hurt because of it.  And I'm not going to play anymore either.  When you first came back..."  And then he paused, remembering, and Vlad's expression went odd and even soft in its own way.  Strange that the blue skinned monster before him looked so human even in this form.  "When you came back, I was so happy you weren't dead.  Even when you started causing problems again.  I don't want to have to hurt you, Vlad."

 

                "How generous.  But I do think I have adequate self-defense."  Dry, familiar tones.  Sarcasm.

 

                "No you don't."  Danny shook his head.  "Vlad, I've seen you do a lot of things.  I know you can do horrible things, I've seen you try to kill innocent people.  I can do terrible things too, and I've seen you do good things, although you don't know all about that.  I don't know if I can explain it all well enough even if I try.  But I know you too well now.  I know where all your soft spots are, where all your weaknesses are, where things pass through you and where things hit you hardest, I've seen it.  You know that too.  That's why you can't win against me, no matter how good your plan is.”

 

                Vlad was quiet, staring at him, and the look reminded Danny for a brief moment of Jazz trying to analyze him.  But then the look had something of the older Vlad that Danny had met once, and Danny remembered how much older Vlad was in mind if not in body.  "Is this some sort of peculiar way of gloating?"

 

                "No.  It's a... it's a surrender."  The words got their expected surprised reaction, even Danny felt himself wince at the sound of it.  "I'm not playing anymore.  You win this game.  I'm not going to chase you.  So... it's up to you whether you want to keep running, Vlad, or whether you want to try something else.  Something better."

 

                Still the red-eyed stare, not moving forward to attack or to, well, whatever else Vlad might try.  Just words still.  Renegotiation.  "What are you suggesting?"

 

                So Danny bridged the gap.  Walking forward slowly, and it was like old times, like every time.  He spread his arms and caught Vlad without any effort at all, and the ghost felt comfortable there, the proportions balanced in a way they hadn't been when Danny had been a child, his face even enough to lean down a bit and Vlad kissed back cooperatively.  More than cooperatively, chilly air and fanged teeth managed to not disrupt either's efforts, and Danny felt something in Vlad's muscles go limp, relaxed, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.  It felt like coming to the end of a very long trip, and Danny wondered what Vlad had dreamed about to bide his time in space before he'd come home.

 

                "You always close your eyes," Danny muttered when they separated, his voice low.  "Is it because you don't want to see?"

 

                "It's just instinct, Daniel."  Vlad answered back, just as soft in volume if a bit bemused in tone.  "Nothing deeper than that."

 

                "If you say so."  Danny sighed, and rested his head on Vlad's shoulder.  "Will you stop?"

 

                "Stop all my ambitions, for you?  That's a tall order, you know."  Vlad sounded amused.

 

                "Stop the 'come look at me' game.  Have ambitions.  Make better ones.  I know you're able to."  Danny shook his head a little, Vlad's hair brushing against his face a bit uncomfortably.  "Try a new career path, something better than hide and seek."

 

                A long silence, and petting.  Odd, to not be hiding a weapon or seeking one hidden on Vlad, just seeing each other's shape without eyes.  Strong, purposeful, vulnerable.  "It has been quite a while since I've pursued pure research, I suppose."  Almost grudging, but the arms around him were tighter, and it was a start.  "The human world's best scientists are still decades behind my work."

 

                "Learning for learning's sake?  Not for weapons, not with victims, just... study?"  Danny tested the water.

 

                "Daniel, the Ghost Zone functions by a series of laws completely different from the human world.  An entire team of scientists could easily spend multiple lifetimes studying it, if they were so inclined."  A little sigh as though Danny should have known better than to ask.  Maybe he should have, asking seemed almost like daring.

 

                "Okay."  Danny decided to accept that, for now.  "If you start doing the kinds of things you used to, you know I have to stop you."

 

                "I thought you said no more chasing games?"  Vlad's voice rose, challenging a bit.

 

                "No more games."  And the tone was so important, firmness, to make it clear what he was saying without saying it outright.  He didn't want to say that.  "But if you can put aside the old hobbies and find new ones... I wouldn't mind finding new ways of living too.  Or at least trying them."  A hand over Vlad's spine.  They were both entirely too powerful, and he had all the cards in the deck except for Vlad's scientific knowledge.  It was hard to be the winner.  But if they could share victory... "And if you can do that, I promise when you close your eyes, I'll still be here when you open them again."

 

                The answer was a little hummed note, hardly audible, but he still knew it was a yes.  Danny sighed and relaxed too.

 

 


End file.
